PUNE: With the first tunnel boring machine (TBM) required for Shivajinagar-Swargate underground metro all set to be shipped to Pune from China, the officials of the MahaMetro have begun controlled blasting in Swargate to build the shaft, which will be required for entry of the TBM to dig the tunnel.

MahaMetro officials informed that the work of building the shaft in Swargate is in full swing and the work of building the shaft near Agriculture College in Shivajinagar, which is another entry point, is about to be completed.

The controlled blasting is a process to break hard rock for the excavation of stations and launching shafts. The process helps in speeding up the excavation work.

The officials said that the first TBM is expected to arrive in October and it will require about another month for assembling the same before the actual work of tunnel boring starts.

In all, four machines will be bought by MahaMetro and will be introduced in phases.

The first two machines will enter from the tunnel in Shivajinagar and will advance towards Budhwar Peth. These machines will bore the up and down lines of the stretch and will operate with some lag time.

The underground section comprises five stations - Shivajinagar, Civil Court, Budhwar Peth, Mandai and Swargate.